Mexican Guacamole and Horchata

For the past three weeks or so I have been impatiently waiting for the right time to pick my chillies. Which, I might add, I grew myself without killing or neglecting. Completely from scratch. This is a huge achievement for me as someone who has seen one too many basil plants die shrivelled and unloved on my kitchen windowsill!

Last autumn I went to a Mexican chain called Wahaca, who very generously give you a gift of chilli seeds as you leave. Those seeds became my babies over the last year. It’s not meant to take chillies that long to grow, but being the novice gardener that I am I didn't think to wait until after winter (the coldest this country has seen in years) to plant my seeds and give them a better chance at life! Then again, I've always been a fan of tough love. Nevertheless, despite my harsh parenting, the chillies have well and truly blossomed (as you will notice in my video below).

I couldn't think of anything more fitting to make using my Mexican chillies than a Mexican guacamole. And what with this amazing weather here in London, nachos and dips are the perfect way to start off an evening in the garden.

That brings me onto my chosen accompanying drink (because what crisps and dips would be complete without a drink?!) – Horchata. It’s an unusual Mexican drink, made from dry roasted rice, cinnamon mixed with condensed milk served cold with ice. Until recently the only thing I knew about Horchata was that it’s the name of a Vampire Weekend song (as some of you may have noticed by the music from my last videos, I am a Vampire Weekend fan). But alas, Horchata is an authentic Mexican drink, really easy to make and tastes amazing with a drop of rum as suggested in the recipe I followed that can be found here. 

Mexican Guacamole (serves 4)

2 ripe avocados

5 cherry/baby plum tomatoes or 1 normal tomato, chopped into small dice

1 small red onion, chopped into small dice

2 small green chillies, finely chopped

3/4 tsp lemon/lime juice

Simply add all the ingredients into a bowl and either use you hands or use a knife and spoon to squash the avocado into the other ingredients. Keeping the avocados whole to begin with allows you to add texture to your guacamole. You can add more/less chillies according to taste. This goes for the lemon/lime juice as well. Guacamole is best made fresh right before you want to eat it, and is best served with nachos.

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Horchata (serves 6)

1/3 cup rice
1 large piece of cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
340g evaporated milk (about 1 can)
396g condensed milk (1 can)
4/5 cups of water
cinnamon to garnish
ice to serve

Dry roast the rice and cinnamon in a pan over a medium heat. Wait for the rice to turn slightly golden. Keep tossing in the pan to avoid any rice getting overcooked as this will give a burnt taste.

Grind the rice and cinnamon in a blender until they form a fine powder.

Mix all remaining ingredients in a jug and add the powder. Stir well and then drain over a cheese cloth into another jug or large punch bowl. You can use a really fine cloth (as I did) if you don't have a cheese cloth. Refrigerate and serve cold with some ice and cinnamon powder to finish. you can even add a dash of rum when you serve if you wish, trust me this tastes great!

// Click here to PRINT RECIPE //
If you're having a Mexican fiesta any time soon, these recipes are a must!

Until next time...